Size matters, but Redskins' red-zone success relies on many factors

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins offensive Robert Woods Jersey coordinator Matt Cavanaugh was spot on when discussing the team's red-zone offense on Wednesday. It won’t be solved just because they now have taller receivers. That can help, of course, but it will take more to turn them back into Marquise Goodwin Jersey an effective offense inside the 20-yard line. “It’s a group effort,” said Cavanaugh, taking Luke Kuechly Jersey over coordinating duties -- but not play-calling -- from Sean McVay. “I’m not going to say that the only way to get better in the red zone is for us to throw it all the time to bigger receivers, which we’ve obviously got now. But that will be a part of it.” At 6-foot-4, Terrelle Pryor can be effective in part because of his height; he did catch nine of 14 passes thrown his way in the red zone with Cleveland last season. But if all you can do is use your height, defensive backs can adjust. Pryor understands that aspect well. Jamison Crowder is a good red-zone target, too. He’s 5-foot-9 (maybe). Josh Doctson is 6-foot-2 and jumps well. That helps, but not if he can’t get off press coverage or run a fade route the proper way, creating extra inches of separation. But the Redskins won’t be Kawann Short Jersey good in the red zone just because they added more height. Early last season, quarterback Kirk Cousins missed on throws that should have resulted in touchdowns. That had nothing to Greg Olsen Jersey do with the height of the receivers. Rather, it was all about accuracy. He forced throws early (like the interceptions against Pittsburgh and Dallas). There was some belief that early mistakes led to occasional hesitancy in this area for a while. The previous year, with the same group of targets, Cousins was excellent with 22 touchdown throws and no picks. He was Kelvin Benjamin Jersey accurate in the red zone. So it’s not as if he can’t be that way again. A key factor, too, will be his ability to extend plays. In 2015, Cousins ranked fourth in red-zone passer rating. Last year, with 14 touchdown throws and two picks,